


You'd Better Hit Me (Hit Me) Harder

by titaniumsansa



Series: Artemis focused [1]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other, Out of Character, Past Child Abuse, Potentially out of character, Robin is briefly mentioned, sorry if this doesn't make sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 09:24:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8744638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titaniumsansa/pseuds/titaniumsansa
Summary: When her dad knocks her down, Artemis gets back up. She has a mission to do after all.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunkelles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/gifts).



> AN: It’s funny that I’m writing about Artemis’s issues with her dad because I actually have mega issues with my mom, so I apologize if Artemis and Paula aren’t realistic. I don’t have any experience with a loving mother. Song: Power by Bastille. This fic is just me having feelings and putting them in fanfic, so if this is ooc to you, I'm sorry.

“ _It’s fine,”_ Artemis had said when Robin had looked at her when Batman announced their mission involved two teams, one to track Cheshire and one to track Sportsmaster. Robin had made sure to be on the team to find Sportsmaster, and she appreciated that. He and Roy know--or maybe Roy doesn’t. Artemis isn’t sure, but it’s better to see all of the possibilities. Her mom taught her that.

“They sent you solo, baby girl? You need to stop playing a good guy. You and I both know you’re better suited to being a bad guy. Lower your bow.” Sportsmaster says and Artemis shakes her head. She doesn’t bother correcting him on what he’s wrong about it, because it’s everything.

There were nights-there were so many-too many nights when her mom returned that she’s stare into space and wonder. There were kids at her school who had a set of perfect parents who loved them and never left. Their lives weren’t perfect, she knew at that age no one had a perfect life,  but theirs had to be easier. Even just a little bit, even an inch. She wondered if her father loved her, if there was a ever a time he really did without the awfulness in him. Artemis used to think about it, too much, if he ever just loved her without the toxicity tainting it. Somewhere deep down, her dad thought he loved her, she eventually had rationalized.

“I don’t want to hurt you. But if I need to, I will.” Her father says and she knows what’s coming.

 _Don’t move._ Artemis thinks. His arm hits her anyway, knocking her down. It’s not humiliating, it’s not awful and it’s not the  first time she’s been knocked down. Artemis blinks, from the floor, the warehouse lights look big and bright. This isn’t child abuse, this is just two enemies fighting. Two enemies who used to know each other. Or at least, that’s what Artemis tells herself as she stays on the cold concrete.

“You can’t always stop the Big Bad. And we can’t always kill all of the good guys, but we can try. Join the winning team, Artemis. Join Cheshire and I. It’d be nice to have both of my daughters with me.” Sportsmaster is busy checking a crate and Artemis feels a few tears in her eyes, but they’re not for anything she doesn’t already know, and hasn’t already felt. Sometimes, it just reopens the scar he left, that hasn’t ever fully stitched itself shut. Technically, he’s given her more than just that scar, there were literal ones. But she isn’t bleeding, she’s just bruised. Artemis coughs and he doesn’t even look at her. He doesn’t even fucking look.

She gets up, he’s immersed in his work and a few feet away. Too far to engage immediately, but the perfect range for an arrow in the back.

“ If you’re gonna hit me, you’re gonna have to hit me harder. I’m your daughter after all. You’ve hit harder before.” Artemis says and lets the arrow fly.

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn’t kill him. Of course it doesn’t kill him, she couldn’t kill him. Not that the Team or League like killing. But Artemis knows she could have picked the nastiest arrow that’d fuck him up and kill him. There was a headshot she could have taken too after all.

But she knows, deep down, just like how Sportsmaster might think he love her, she still almost loves him. The idealized version that only ever existed in her head, but still. He’s still her father, even though she told herself over and over and over and over and over that it doesn’t matter it does, it always does and it always fucking did. She can’t ever say that he’s not her father _because he is._ No matter what happens, he’s her biological father whether she loves that or hates that. Even if she fixes it up legally or makes a new life with a fake name, it doesn’t change that in the honesty of the night or in her bones. She’ll know and that’s what matters.

Sportsmaster is like a tumor she has to live with. That doesn’t mean she can’t try to stab at it or ask another doctor to remove it, even if it’s been with her too long. It just means he’s much harder to deal with. Robin and M’gann will keep her secret. But secrets never stay buried and she knows one day, despite the efforts of her mother, Batman, Green Arrow and herself, it’s going to come out. It’s going to come out someday. Artemis knows it’d be better if it came out of her mouth at least, to the Team. It might change everything. She’s had that nightmare, getting kicked off the Team and hated by the League, she’s woken up too many times staring at her wall catching her breath thinking about it.

At least she has her mom. Her mom is wonderful even if they don’t always get along. Her mom loves her, even if everything goes wrong. That doesn’t fix what might go wrong, at least she has her mom, she thinks. At least, there’s that. She’ll go home after this and her mom will ask how it was, and she’ll tell her about it. She’ll hug her mom and tell her it’ll be fine even if it isn’t.


End file.
